Chicken feeder



Oct. l2 1926, 1,602,659 J. M. GRAY CHICKEN FEEDER Filed May 22, 1926 a ...zg-:Q i j /fI "l- 2.5 2, ,ff

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h@ [in l /5 grwntoz *E #www aucun Patented Oct. 12, 1926.

UNITED vsrafras p' JOHN M. GRAY, OF WICHITA FALLS, TEXAS.

CHICKEN FEEDER.

ApplicationV led May 22,

VThis invention relates to chicken feeders and particularly to those chicken feeders in which a trough is provided for holding feed and in which. the chickens may have access to the trough only through a series of vertically extending bars, thus permitting each chicken to have his due amount of feed without interfering with any other chicken.

A further object is to provide a device of this kind wherein the barred top of the device is so mounted that it may be readily removed or readily shifted forward and supported in this position while feed is being discharged into the trough.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accom.- panying drawings wherein z- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a feeder constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a rfront elevation with the rack removed;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1 Fig. 4 is a section on the same line but showing the raclr lifted up;

Fig. 5 is av section on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Referring to these drawings it will be seen that the device consists of a back 10. a bottom 11 ends walls 12, and a front wall 13. tom wall abut against the end walls and are attached thereto in any suitablei manner. The rear wall is higher than the front wall and the end walls 12 are beveled downward from the upper edge of the rear wall to the front edge of the bottom 11 as at 14 and then extend straight downward. The rear edges of the end walls extend straight downward and thus legs 15 are provided that support the bottom of the feeder above the ground.

Disposed between the end walls is a. partition wall 16 which fits against the bottom, rear and front walls and has a downwardly inclined upper edge face and disposed against the end walls on the inside thereof are cleats 17 which space the front wall 13 from the rear wall 10 and brace the structure. these cleats having downwardly and forwardly in clined upper faces 18 in alignment with the upper edge face of the partition 16. The upper edge of the wall 13 is upwardly beveled at the same inclination as the upper The rear and front walls 13 and the boty 1926. Serial No. 110,984.

edges of the walls 18 and lbut the upper corner of the inclined face 19 of the front Wall 13 is below the lower corner of the cleats 17.

Coacting with the trough formed as described, isla longitudinally extending` mem ber 20, the under face of which adjacent its ends has attached thereto the two supports 21. Each of these supports has an upper end` disposed at aninclination to the length of the supports so as to fitup against the back wall. 10 and the lower end of earh support is cut out at 22 to provide a triangular opening, one wall 23 of which is y -vertical and the otherwall 2liof which extendsover the face 19 of the front wall 13,

`plurality of downwardly and forwardly ei;-

tending slats 25 which are attached to the inside faces of the longitudinal member 2O and are of sufficient length to extend over the inclined edge 19 and rest thereon when the member 2O is in position.

It will be seen that normally the slats 25 define openings through which chickens may secure access to the feed and that these slats 25 are supported inl position against accidental detachment by the longitudinal member 2O which in turn is supported by tbe legs 21, as they may be termed. Inasmuch as the ends of the longitudinal member 20 are disposed inward of and below the upper edges of the ends 12, the longitudinal member cannot be laterally shifted and yet at the saine time a full support .is secured therefor. Nor can this member 20 with its slats 25 be lifted by the chickens because its upper edge abuts against the rear wall 10. While the chickens cannot lift or shift this slatted member, the slatted member may be readily turned forward upon the beveled edge 19 of the front wall whenever it is desired to'fill the trough with feed or the slatted member may be readily removed whenever desired to permit the discharge of chaff, dirt or other foreign matter which may have accumulated in the trough.

This device is intended to be disposed against the wall of a chicken house and in this position occupies very little space. Vfhen so disposed, chickens cannot roost. on top of it and thus there is not much chance for the feed within the several compartments being' contaminated. lnasmuch as the floor of the feeder is disposed above the floor of the chicken house, the chickens must hop or fly up to the `floor of the feeder and this gives them exercise and prevents overcrowding while eating.

I claim l. A chicken feeder comprising an elongated trough having` upstanding rear and front walls and end walls, the rear wall being higher than the front wall, a bottom to the trough extending forw-c rd of the front wall, a longitudinally extending niember having legs engaging the front wall and operatively supported by the end walls, and slats attached to the longitudinal member and extending downward and forward over the front wall.

2. A chicken feeder comprising an elon gated trough consisting of a rear wall, a front wall, end walls, and a bottom7 the end walls having downwardly and forwardly inclined upper edges, the rear wall being higher than the front wall, and the bottom extending forward beyond the front wall,

Lacasse cleats disposed on the inside faces of the end walls and having downwardly and forwardly inclined upper edges disposed below the level of the upper edges of the end walls, and a longitudinal member having' a length equal to the distance between the end walls and adapted to rest upon the upper edges of said cleats, said member having legs adjacent its ends forked at their lower ends to rest against the front wall and extend thereover, and said member having a series of uniformly spaced slats attached to its inner face and extendingdownward and forward over the upper edge of the front wall.

A. chicken feeder comprisingan elongated trough having a bottom, a back wall, a 4:lont wall, and end walls, the rear wall being higher than the front wall, an elongated member adapted to be operatively supported upon the end walls and having slats attached thereto at spaced intervals extending down over the front wall, said elongated member being operatively supported so that it may be oscillated upon the front wall to or from a closed position or shi'itable bodily therefrom.

ln testimony whereof l hereunto atliX my signature.

JOHN M. GRAY. 

